The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic twin engine all-weather night fighter and attack aircraft. The F/A-18s first flew in November 1978 and the first production flight on April 12, 1980. The first 380 aircraft were F/A-18As and in September 1987 production switched to the F/A-18C. Variants A and C are single-seat aircraft while B and D are tandem-seats. The Hornet can operate from either aircraft carriers or land bases with the capability of in flight refueling. A total of 1,480 A-D variants were built.

The Aircraft

In an effort to protect Libyan citizens that want to put an end to the autocrat Muammar Gaddafi rule and are being shot and killed by the Libyan Army a coalition of ATO countries have implemented a no-fly zone over the country. As part of the coalition Canada sent 6 of its CF-188 fighters to assist. One of the 6 CF-188 aircraft was 188769 c/n 0485/A400 that joined the Canadian Armed Forces on September 24, 1986 as the equivalent to an F-18A-20-MC.